Sebastian Vettel — on his way to becoming F1 champion in his debut season — sprays champagne on Adrian Newey after winning the Japanese F1 Grand Prix October 10, 2010. — Reuters pic

LONDON, March 31 — McLaren's much-improved form in Australia last weekend owed a lot to Red Bull, the Formula One world champions' technical director Adrian Newey said yesterday.

Red Bull's world champion Sebastian Vettel won the season opener in Melbourne, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton second.

"McLaren made a huge leap forward — by copying our exhaust, it has to be said," Newey said at the RAC Club in London before being presented with the prestigious Segrave Trophy.

"But the bottom line is they still made huge leaps forward. I am sure they will be pushing us hard," added the man who joined Red Bull from McLaren in 2006.

Before Melbourne, last year's runners-up were struggling in testing with a car that was proving neither fast nor reliable.

The Mercedes-powered team then ditched the exhaust system and floor they had tested with and replaced it with what they described as a simpler version.

Williams have also said they hope to use a similar exhaust by China, the third race of the season, on April 17.

"We think it works for us," said Newey. "It seems it also works for McLaren. It's a form of flattery but it's a bit of a pain if they then beat you with it."

Although Hamilton damaged his car during the race, Vettel was dominant in a car without the KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) that gives a power boost at the push of a button. The team removed it due to reliability concerns but Newey hoped they would be able to run it properly next week in Malaysia, the second round.

KERS decision

"If we feel it's reliable then we will try to race it," he said. "We will have to make that decision on Friday evening (at Sepang).

"KERS is a benefit off the start line. So even if you are on the front row, without KERS there's a risk that you won't be first into the first corner."

Team boss Christian Horner had suggested Newey was reluctant to compromise on the aerodynamic details of the car, making it harder to package the KERS within it, but the designer said that was exaggerated.

"It's not really a packaging problem as such," he told Reuters. "We have packaged it in quite an aggressive manner but that wasn't the cause of the problem.

"It was actually a relatively trivial problem but KERS is a complicated system, we have been trying to develop the element of it that has been giving us a bit of trouble ourselves and we're not experts in that field."

The Segrave Trophy, named after the late Henry Segrave, is awarded to those whose achievements are deemed to put them on a par with the man who held world speed records on land and water in the 1920s.

"To receive such an illustrious and distinguished trophy like this, it almost sends shivers down my spine when I look at the names that have received it in the past . . . I feel very honoured," said Newey. — Reuters

Sachin Tendulkar celebrates with captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq walks off the field in Mohali, March 30, 2011. — Reuters pic

MOHALI, India, March 31 — India kept alive a billion dreams after sinking Pakistan in their World Cup semi-final last night to set up an all-Asian final against Sri Lanka.

Unlike their opponents from across the border, India did not look overwhelmed by the hype surrounding the showdown that forced a virtual lockdown in this tiny north Indian town.

The 1983 champions put 260-9 on board and then returned to bowl out their opponents for 231 with just one delivery left to complete a 29-run victory to spark euphoria in and around the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium.

The victory not only pits them against Sri Lanka in Saturday's final between the co-hosts in Mumbai but also spared them some unnecessary plane-hopping.

"One good thing (about this win) is that the next flight would be a chartered flight," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, fed up of jumping on and off connecting flights over the past six weeks, told reporters. "We will go to Delhi first, and from there to Mumbai (without changing planes)."

Shahid Afridi had vowed not to allow the Indian to score his 100th international century against Pakistan, but his teammates seemed to have different ideas.

Tendulkar was dropped by Misbah-ul-Haq, Younus Khan and Umar Akmal, whose elder brother Kamran also missed a half-chance at stumping the batsman.

This was after Tendulkar had successfully overturned an lbw decision that had gone against him using the same decision review system he has been critical about.

Tendulkar, however, still could not reach the 100 mark as Afridi took matters into his own hands, literally, by catching the Indian off Saeed Ajmal to dismiss Tendulkar for 85.

It was his opening partner Virender Sehwag (38) who gave India a blazing start, almost oblivious of the monstrous burden of expectation that rested on the shoulders of all 22 players who featured in the contest.

The presence of prime ministers of both the countries may have suited the "cricket diplomacy" initiatives but if anything, it only increased the pressure on most of the players.

Sehwag, however, took it all in his stride as he blasted 21 runs off an Umar Gul over, a shock the Pakistani pace spearhead could not recover from in the remainder of the match.

India, however, could not make the most of the start and Wahab Riaz's maiden five-wicket haul restricted them to a total that would not have been possible but for Suresh Raina's unbeaten 36-run cameo down the order.

Pakistan were off to a decent start too but while the likes of Mohammad Hafeez (43) and Asad Shadiq (30) got the starts, they could not convert it into big knocks.

Down the order, Misbah (56) came out with some lusty hits but lack of partnerships meant by then the game had slipped through Pakistan's fingers, just like one of those catches from Tendulkar that went begging.

"Lack of partnerships has been a problem for us right from the start of the tournament and it recurred today," Afridi rued after Pakistan once again succumbed to the jinx of never beating their arch-rivals in one-day cricket's biggest stage.

"We have invariably won matches where we had partnerships. Besides, our shot selection was very poor." — Reuters

MIAMI: Germany's Andrea Petkovic (above) pulled off another upset at the Miami Masters this morning, defeating sixth seed Jelena Jankovic to move into the semi-finals, while Kim Clisjers needed all her big-match experience just to stay in the tournament.

The 21st seed Petkovic, fresh from beating world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki on Monday, showed her exciting promise again with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 over Jankovic.

World number two Clijsters survived five match points to beat Ana Ivanovic, winning 7-6 3-6 7-6 to keep alive her title defense.

With some gutsy play from the baseline, the energetic Petkovic turned things around in the second set, saving four break points with her improving serve.

Jankovic fought back in the third, building a 4-2 lead, but Petkovic reeled off four games in a row to finish it, including a thrilling sevendeuce final game.

Petkovic will face the winner of the match between Russian Maria Sharapova and Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru, being played later in the morning.

While the 23-year-old Petkvovic celebrated her place in the final four with her trademark 'Petko Dance', Ivanovic was reduced to banging rackets after yet another reminder of her frequent inability to finish off matches.

The game, delayed by rain from Monday, was there for the taking at 5-1 when Ivanovic failed to convert four match points and she squandered another opportunity at 5-3 before losing the deciding tie-break.

Meanwhile, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic both cruised into the quarterfinals of the men's event with straight sets victories.

Nadal faced virtually no resistance from Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in a 6-1, 6-2 victory, winning 86 per cent of first service points and did not face a single break point.

The Spanish world number one will face Czech Tomas Berdych, a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 victor over German Florian Mayer, in the last eight.

Djokovic remains unbeaten this year, chalking up 21 successive wins, and that record was never in danger against fellow Serb Viktor Troicki in a straightforward 6-3, 6-2 win.

The world No 2 was comfortable throughout and will now face South African Kevin Anderson for a place in the semifinals.

Roger Federer was due to face Belgium's Olivier Rochus later this morning.

Federer and Nadal will face each other in the semifinals should the Swiss progress.

Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro, still making his way back from lengthy injury problems, fell to American Mardy Fish 7-5 7-6.

Fish is now one win away from replacing Andy Roddick as the top ranked American after his hardfought victory in front of a crowd that was heavily backing his opponent.

Fish will overtake Roddick, who lost in his opening game here, should he beat Spain's David Ferrer in the last eight.

SAN JOSE (Costa Rica): With Lionel Messi on the bench with an injury, Argentina looked lost and disorganised, settling with a dull 0-0 draw against Costa Rica this morning.

After a tough 1-1 draw against the United States last Saturday, the Argentines were hoping to rebound with a win over Costa Rica.

Argentina coach Sergio Batista made numerous changes from the squad who faced the United States, including resting Messi who had a minor injury and leaving Javier Zanetti and Angel Di Maria on the bench, but will be bitter with the result in front of a hostile environment in San Jose.

Argentina came close to scoring eight minutes in after Ever Banega played a stellar ball to the feet of Jose Sosa.

Banega took a touch in the box before shooting towards the far post with the outside of his foot, but goalkeeper Keilor Navas made a quality save to maintain the scoreline.

For the opening 15 minutes, the Costa Ricans hung tough defensively, playing physically while hardly giving Argentina room to advance with the ball.

A few minutes later, the hosts almost opened the scoring.

In the 18th minute, Bryan Ruiz nearly found the net with a low, driven shot from the left the box.

The shot almost went under Mariano Andujar, but the Argentina goal keeper was able to touch it wide. In the final 10 minutes of the first half, Costa Rica looked superior, keeping the Argentines on their heels.

With the momentum of the crowd in the Estadio Nacional, the Central Americans held possession in the Argentine half, forcing the likes of Gabriel Milito and Marcos Angeleri to clear the ball down field to relieve the pressure.

In the second half, Batista made a few changes, bringing on Mario Bolatti, Fernando Belluschi and Nicolas Otamendi.

Belluschi almost rewarded his coach with a goal when he fired a bullet to the right side of the goal that was touched wide by Navas.

But after that, neither team showed much of anything.

Both played horrendous, ill-timed passes out of bounds and failed to find the the crucial passes to send the forwards through.

In other friendlies this morning, Paraguay edged the United States 1-0 while Jamaica defeated El Salvador 3-2.

MOHALI, India (AP) - The tense buildup to what has been billed as "the mother of all World Cup matches" came to a spine-tingling climax on Wednesday when Sachin Tendulkar strode out to bat for India with Virender Sehwag.

Hundreds of people moved into their seats as soon as the gates opened, four hours before the blockbuster semifinal between archrivals India and Pakistan was due to begin. The match was sold out last week, but incredibly there were still a few ticket-holders missing as the match began due to intensive security checks at all entrances. The 28,000 tickets for the match were the most sought-after on the subcontinent.

Tendulkar, seeking his 100th international century, and Sehwag were greeted by a tumultuous roar as they walked out onto the pitch at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium.

Watching them was a host of Bollywood superstars, dignitaries and high-ranking politicians - including the Prime Ministers of both countries in what is being seen as a possible first step toward improved diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan.

Indian premier Manmohan Singh and Pakistan counterpart Yousuf Gilani were warmly cheered by the crowd as they walked onto the pitch following the national anthems. Singh shook hands with the Pakistan players before Gilani, while the roles were reversed as the pair met the India team.

With the two premiers in attendance, security was inevitably tighter than at any other match. Roads around the fortified stadium were closed, and anyone entering the ground had to negotiate several checks, with bags being meticulously searched for any dangerous or suspicious objects.

Police and soldiers on foot, on horse back and armored vehicles patrolled the fortified stadium, where a crush of fans had gathered. The sporting rivalry between the nations is as intense as any, but the match took on an added political significance when Gilani accepted Singh's invitation to watch with him.

"I am going there to show solidarity with our team, with their team and to promote cricket," Gilani said.

While the historic meeting occurs in the VIP box at the PCA Stadium, the sellout crowd had their eyes trained on the pitch, most of those eagerly hoping national sporting icon Tendulkar can score a century. There were small pockets of Pakistan fans waving the green and white flag, but they were almost invisible in a sea of Indian supporters. Tendulkar, whose face adorns posters across the city, was dismissed for 99 by fast bowler Umar Gul in his last match against Pakistan at Mohali in 2007.

India defeated Australia to set up the showdown with Pakistan and prompt a desperate scramble for tickets. The match has been sold out for more than a week but that didn't stop people queuing at the ticket office in the days before the match, hoping that more seats might be released.

On the black market, tickets reportedly fetched up to 100 times their face value.

Those who weren't fortunate enough to get their hands on a ticket watched on big screens set up around nearby Chandigarh, which came to a standstill for the game.

Police have also relaxed a ruling banning people living near the ground from climbing on their roofs to get a birds-eye view.

Businesses across the country shut down for the afternoon - in the knowledge that productivity would undoubtedly drop to zero anyway.

The government decreed a half day in Pakistan, meaning work stopped at noon so that people could watch the match.

Sharapova's opponent will be No. 21 Andrea Petkovic of Germany, who earlier played for nearly three hours on the same stadium court to notch her second upset in two days, beating No. 6 Jelena Jankovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. Petkovic eliminated No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round.

Also advancing to the quarterfinals was top-ranked Rafael Nadal, who committed only five unforced errors to beat No. 21-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of the Ukraine 6-1, 6-2.

Djokovic won two Davis Cup matches in December and is 21-0 in 2011, the best record to begin a year since Ivan Lendl started 25-0 in 1986. Djokovic beat Troicki for the ninth time in a row, with six of the victories since August.

Mardy Fish, the last American in the tournament, limped into the quarterfinals after a grueling 7-5, 7-6 (5) win over Juan Martin del Potro. Fish will next face No. 6 David Ferrer of Spain.

American John Isner, seeded 30th, lost to Kevin Anderson of South Africa, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Kim Clijsters overcame five match points to beat No. 19-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (5). Clijsters, the tournament champion in 2005 and again last year, was serving at 1-5, love-40 when her comeback begin.

Ivanovic took the loss badly.

"You should see my racket," the 2008 French Open champion said, managing a smile. "I kind of broke my racket, and then kind of cried a little bit, and then I was OK."

Sharapova won despite 17 double-faults and twice as many unforced errors as Dulgheru.

"It was long. It was tough," she said. "It was not my best performance, but, you know, I gutted it out till the end."

Sharapova turned her ankle late in the third set and required treatment from a trainer in the middle of a game. The crowd gasped when her misstep was replayed on the video scoreboard, but the injury didn't appear to affect her.

"It hurt when I did it," she said. "I iced it a lot, and did an ice bath and got it taped. I think I'll be OK. I'm tough."

Fish, 29, will overtake Andy Roddick and become the top-ranked American man for the first time if he defeats Ferrer.

"Being the No. 1 American would be something that would be pretty cool to tell my kids about," said Fish, who is married but not yet a dad.

Lee Chong Wei should have an easy ride in the absence of China's shuttlers.

LEE Chong Wei will make a return to the circuit at the India Open Super Series in New Delhi on April 26- May 1.

Chong Wei, the top seed, should have an easy ride in the absence of China's shuttlers to secure his ninth title since last June.

The World No 1, recent winner of the All England men's singles title, is determined to continue with his winning run in India to boost his confidence in the bid to win the men's singles title at the London World Championships in August.

Chong Wei's main rivals in the India Open are expected to be Indonesia's World No 3 Taufik Hidayat, Simon Santoso, Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Japan's Kenichi Tago.

There is also a possibility that Misbun Sidek will return to guide Chong Wei before the start of the tournament.

The BA of Malaysia will make it known on Friday whether Misbun, who resigned on Dec 31, will accept its offer to coach the national elite squad again.

Meanwhile, Hafiz Hashim, now an independent shuttler, is desperate to gain ranking points to qualify for the World Championships.

The former All England champion will have a chance to do so in the New Zealand Open, which starts today, and the Australian Open, scheduled for April 5-10, in Melbourne.

Hafiz, who has not won a title since the 2006 Philippines Open, is determined to give a good account of himself after an embarrassing loss to unknown Spaniard Pablo Abian in the last-16 of the recent Swiss Open.

"The Swiss Open could have been a turning point for my career. Fever slowed me down when I played Abian. I want to redeem my pride in both tournaments," said Hafiz yesterday.

"On paper, I should be able to do well in the New Zealand Open. My target in Auckland is to at least reach the final. It is slightly tough in the Australian Open as many top shuttlers have also registered for the event."

The World No 33 is the third highest ranked Malaysian in the BWF men's singles rankings, but needs to be among the 24 highest ranked players in the world to secure a guaranteed spot in the World Championships.

Si Yew Ming won the men's singles and doubles titles at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. — Picture by Osman Adnan

SI Yew Ming maintained his supremacy on the National Circuit by winning the men's singles and doubles titles in the second leg at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Yew Ming nailed the singles title by battling past Ahmad Deedat Abd Razak 7-6 (11-9), 7-6 (7-2) to remain undefeated in the local scene this year.

In the doubles, Yew Ming and former national player Ashaari Zainal teamed up to beat Ariez Elyaas Deen Heshaam-Ahmad Deedat 6-3, 6-4.

It was a gallant effort by Ariez and Ahmad Deedat, who were unseeded, in the tournament.

Ahmad Deedat's fine run in the second leg will definitely boost his confidence for future events. The youngster will lead the national junior Davis Cup team in next month's Asia/Oceania Qualifiers in New Delhi.

Jawairiah Noordin's unbeaten run in local tournaments, however, came to an end in the women's singles final.

Jawairiah, the top seed, was trailing 5-6 in the first set against Choo Lyn Yuen when she was forced to retire fearing, an injury.

"I felt a twitch in my knee and opted to retire," said Jawairiah.

However, Jawairiah won the doubles title with Ti Jia Wei. The pair eased past Lyn Yuen-R. Archnaah 6-2, 6-2.